Life in the Gulag

I spent a good portion of the long drive home from Klamath Falls yesterday listening to Beirut's album "Gulag Orkestar." I'm about a year late in jumping on the Beirut bandwagon, and learning that the main man behind the group, Zach Condon, is a 20 year-old kid from New Mexico who dropped out of high school and cruised around Europe basking in the Baltic melodies, has reaffirmed that my life is boring. Here's the recipe: accordion, ukulele, and lots of trumpets. Repeat. The lyrics are often barely discernable but the melodies are interesting enough to compensate. Since "Gulag Orkestar," he has released an EP and a new album is schedule for release sometime in the fall.

Beirut - Mount Wroclai(Idle Days)
Beirut - Postcards From Italy